The High Court trial of two men charged over the wrongful murder conviction of Alan Hall has been re-scheduled, after one of the men was too unwell to take part in the current trial.
The men face charges of wilfully perverting the course of justice over the conviction of Hall, who spent 19 years behind bars for the 1985 murder of Auckland man Arthur Easton.
Hall had his conviction quashed by the Supreme Court in 2022, and was later paid $4.9 million in compensation, the highest amount ever awarded in New Zealand.
The two accused men have pleaded not guilty, and their names and occupations are suppressed. A third man charged died in 2024.
The trial was due to begin last Monday but was delayed after it heard of one defendant's ill health.
Today, defence lawyer David Jones KC confirmed his client's health had not improved enough for him to stand trial.
Justice Gault set a new date for June 15.
Hall’s case is one of New Zealand’s worst miscarriages of justice. He endured four failed appeals and his name was only cleared in 2023, when he was 60.
Easton's murder remains unsolved.
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